Loom



LOOM

' Filed July 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR LOUIS J. ZERBEE BY A4. A TTORNEY Feb. 10, 1942. I J. ZERB-EE 2,272,456 Y LOOM Filed July 24, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I RB E HG. lo BY LOU S J ZE E Feb. 10, 1942. 1.. J. ZERBEE LOOM Filed July 24, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 10, 1942 YATENTY orrlcs 2,272,456 LooM Louis J. Zerbee, Bellefontaine; Ohio Application July 24, 1939, Serial No; 287,493

19 Claims. (Cl. 139-127) This invention relates to a'loom and more particularly to a loom adapted for weaving spring wire into a metallic screen.

An object of this invention is to provide. a retrieving device. for feeding the woof or weft from one side of the web between the shed formed by the separation of the warp wires.

Another object of this invention is to provide a retrieving device for drawingthe wire of the weft through a crimping deviceas-the wire of theweft is placed in the shedformed by the warp wires.

Another object ofthis invention is toprovide a retrieving device that draws thewire of the weft from one side of the web, so as to position the crimped weft wire in proper relation with respect to the wires of the warp.

Another object of this invention is to weave a wire screen fromcontinuous length, wires used as the warp, so that the loom may operate continuously night and daywithout interruption normally caused by winding'the warpwires upon a warp drum.

Another object of this invention is-to provide snippers or shears for'severing the weft wire.

Another object of this invention is to provide a loom wherein the weft wire is automatically drawn from a large coil of continuous wire across the shed formed by the warp wires and severed immediately upon'being positioned there- Another object of this invention is to provide a tensioning device between thesource of supply for the continuous length wire and the loom proper, for properly tensioning the wires.-

Another object of this invention is to provide a loom that is automatic in its operation, that is easily operated, that is dependable, that weaves steel wire into high. quality metallic screen produced cheaply and efiiciently.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts,, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more, apparent fromthe following description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the loom assembly, together with a portion of the warp mill, with parts omitted for thesake of clearness.

Figure 2 is a front elevation shown schematis cally, with parts omitted for clearness.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the wire crnnping device.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the wire crimpingv device taken substantially on the line 4-5 of Figure 3-.

Figure 5 isianother crosssectional. view'otithev wirecrimping device taken substantially: on. the line 55 of Figure: 3.

Figure 6 is afragmentary detailyiew disclosing the retrieving device; parts being shownin sec;- tion, substantially on the section line 6-.6' of Figure '7.

Figure '7 is another fragmentary detail. View of:

the retrieving device, with parts shown. in section taken substantially'on the sectionlin l -.1. of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view ofa portion 0 J the beater, having mounted. thereon the wire crimping device. and the weft wire shearing; mechanism.

Figure 9 is an enlarged. sectional view of the, tensioning meansand a part. of the drum.

Figure 10 isza fragmentary. top plan view oi.- the tensioning device.

Figure 11 is a; transversev cross sectional view of the arm of the weft feedingdevice, taken sub-, stantially onthe line H-ll of Figure 6.

Figure 12 is another transverse crossv sectional view taken substantially on the. line 12-42 of Figure 6 'near the headof. the weft feeding device.

Inthe past, looms haverbeen utilized for weav-- ing screen wire from fine wire. that is rather soft and flexible. Heavier wire has also been woven; but in weaving heavier wire no automatic shuttlehas been used. Instead, the'w efthas been placed in position manually in most cases, or. semi-manually. If. put in'by the machine or hand, it is pushed through in place of being pulled through. Furthermore, the warpof-the metallic screen has been supplied from adrum that is periodically rewound, halting the:opera'-' tion of the loom during the rewinding of the drum. In' some" cases it hasbeen the practice, to operate a loom about half of the time,; the; other half of the time being utilized in rewinding or rereeling' the drum supplying the warp to. the loom andthreading the warp through the heddles and the reeds.

In the present embodiment, wire screenwhich may have approximately eight meshto the inch is woven from high carbon steel wire, so as toform a metallic screen adaptable for use in the manufacture of cushions for steel porch. furniture as disclosed in my Patent No. 2,126,439, patented August 9, 1938. The steel wire used in weaving this metallic screen is comparatively stiff and cannot be woven on-the same type of a loom used. for weaving fly screen and-the'like, in that the. wires are. too heavy. andv too rigid for manipulation in such looms, which use bobbins on which the weft wire is wound.

This spring screen is now woven upon a loom that operates automatically and continuously, excepting for short stops to interchange weft coils in that the warp is supplied from an unlimited source of warp material. Whenever a spool or reel of warp material is exhausted, another spool, having a new supply, is substituted for the old spool by merely butt welding the ends of the wire together. The butt welded joint thus produced is not much thicker than the regular wire, so that the welded wire is fed through the loom without interrupting the operation thereof.

The type of wire is a high carbon manganese steel wire, that is purchased in the form of coils. These coils are first rewound upon spools or bobbins a couple of inches wide and eight to ten inches in diameter. There is one spool or bobbin of warp wire for each strand of Warp, these spools being mounted upon a warp mill. From this mill the wires are drawn through a wire tensioning mechanism and wrapped twice around a large drum. After encircling the drum, which drum is actuated so as to supply the wire to the loom at a proper rate of speed, the wires pass through a second tensioning device, through the heddles and the reeds.

In the present embodiment the weft wire is automatically fed into the shed formed by the b separation of the warp wires. The weft wire is fed into position by the useof an automatic weft feeding device which grabs an end of the weft wire supplied from a spool over an oscillatory tensioning arm through a non-reversing wire crimping mechanism that properly crimps the weft. This automatic weft feeding device is provided with gripper jaws that are advanced in open position through theshed in readiness to grab the end of the wire that has been crimped by the succeeding movement of the weft feeding device, then pull this wire through the shed.

At the end of the stroke when the weft has been pulled through the shed, the gripper jaws are released and the wire severed at the starting side by snippers or shears that may be carried by the beater frame and operating automatically in response to this beater frame to cut the weft wire at the proper time.

Broadly, the loom includes warp wire feeding and manipulating means, a beater, a weft wire source of supply and tensioning device, a weft wire crimping device, a weft feeding device, automatic shuttle driving mechanism, beater driving mechanism and wire snippers or shears, in addition to the usual loom structure, as modified. The structural details and the operation of these various features will be described more fully in the detailed description of the loom which follows:

Warp wire feeding and manipulating means Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figure l, the wires 20 form the warp of the web 22 that is woven from high carbon manganese steel wire. Instead of high carbon steel wire, any other spring wire may be used, providing it has the proper resiliency and the other requisites desirable in the manufacture of cushioning devices for use as seats and back rests in porch furniture, chairs, seats and other resilient shock-absorbing devices. The wires 20 are supplied to the loom from spools 24, there being one spool 24 for each wire of the warp. These spools 24 are removably mounted in a pair of racks26, only one of which has been shown. These racks 26 are arranged to the rear of the loom and extend in parallel relation. Furthermore, the amount of wire on each spool differs, so that the wire from one spool alone becomes exhausted at one time. When the wire on one spool is nearly exhausted, the spool is removed from the rack 26 and a new spool substituted therefor. The end of the wire on the old spool and the free end of the wire on the new spool are butt welded. It has been found that the butt welded wires pass through the loom without difiiculty, as the wire where it has been welded is not much thicker than the regular thickness of the wire. By mounting the spools in two racks and mounting the racks in spaced relation from each other at the rear of the loom, a path is formed between the wires passing from the spools to the loom which permits the attendant to replace or substitute new spools as the old ones are exhausted.

The wires constituting the warp are passed through a tensioning device that includes a plurality of transverselydisposed bars 30 and tensioning bar 3|, cooperating with a tensioning member 32 clamped in position by suitable adlusting screws 34 to tension the wire as it advances from the spools. From the bars 30 and the tensioning member 32, each wire is wrapped twice around the drum 36 and then through a second tensioning device including transversely disposed bars 38 and a pair of tensionin members 40 and 4| clamped in position by screws 42. The drum 36 is driven through a chain of gears 44, only one gear of which is shown, from a suitable source of power not shown.

The driving mechanism is so arranged that the angular displacement of the drum during each cycle of operation of the loom is equal to the length of wire extending between the centers of the weft wires. If, for example, an eight mesh screen is woven, that is, eight meshes to the inch, the periphery of the drum is rotated approximately one-eighth of an inch during each cycle of the operation of the loom. The warp wires being wrapped twice around the drum and properly tensioned are advanced a distance equal to the peripheral movement of the drum. The double wrapping of each wire 20 about the drum creates sufficient surface friction so as to cause the wires to move in unison with the drum, no faster and no slower. The mechanism of the loom will, .of course, tend to pull the wires away from the drum, as will appear more fully later. The wires forming the warp of the web advance from the transversely disposed bars 38 through two groups of heddles 54 and 5B. The heddles 54 and 56, as is well known to those skilled in the art, are supported by a flexible chain, cable or other suitable flexible member 58, extending over a pulley or sprocket journalled in standards 10, one on either side of the loom. The heddles are reciprocated in a vertical direction by a pair of cams I2 and 14 mounted upon a shaft 16, journalled in the sides of the frame of the loom, through a pair of levers l8 and 80, having one end pivoted to the frame of the loom.

Beater Thus far the portion of the loom and parts associated therewith are used primarily in supplying th warp wires. In addition to the warp wires, it is necessary to supply the weft wires in proper relation with respect to the manipulation of the warp wires. Due to the rigidity and the stiffness of the spring wire used, it is necessary to form or crimp the weft wire before it awaiteis woven into the material. The war-p wires need not be crimped, as the separation of the warpwires-to form-the shed; in cooperation-withthe operation of-"the beater, automatically crimps or: forms theawarpwires. The crimping mechanismfor the weft. wire, the severing device and the automatic weft feeding device are all associated with and mountedupon thebeater frame. That being the-case, the beater frame and-the beatermechanismwill be described befor describing these several other devices, although these other devices-all enter into theoperation of the 100m prior to the operation of the beater.

The standards I support a transversely dispose'dshaft IM; supporting a pair ofrocker arms I02 'an'd I045 These-rocker arms I 02and- IMsupport a-pair-of-angle irons I06 and I08 transverse ly disposed with respectto the 100m; These angle ironssupport the reed elements; I 10, shown schematically, forming the beater. There is-Oile reed element-between each pair of adjacent Warp wires. In otherword's, there is-a warp wire locatedbetween each two adjacent reed elements.

Weft wire source of supply. and tensioning device A bracket structure including members H2 and H4 is. fixedly attached to one end of the beaterframe .includinglthe angle iron bars I05 and. I081. These-members support a tensioning:

rocker. arm: IEIG: mounted foroscillatory movement'. The rocker arm is spring urged by a spring: III, whichzspring swings'the rocker arm II6 outwardly away. from thebeater. The outer end of the oscillatory rocker arm II6 supports Weft wire crimping mechanism As maybest b seen by referring to-"Figures 3, 4 and 5; thiscrimping mechanism I is mounted upon the. beaterframe I06 and I08 and includes l a boxf-likesstructure having a base I32,- .a.pair of channel end frame members I34 andnIEB-sup: porteduponrthe base and h'eld'in spaced relation' at the top by a pair of spanning members I38'andI40. The endmembers I34 and I30 are each provided with vertically disposed channels, supportingbearingfblocks I42, I44, I IG' and I48. A shaft I: is journalled in the. bearing blocks I42uand I48-and ashaft I52 is journalled in the bearing blocks I44 and I46. The shaft4l50rsupports-a crimping roller I54, having a fixed driving' connectionwith-a gear ISB'meshing' with a gear I-mounted upon theshaft I52 and drivinglthexcrimping roller I62. The crimping rollers I54 and I62v are driven'by the weft wire I20 as-it advances into the loom. The crimpingrollers I54-and I62 are driven in synchronism by the. intermeshinggears I56 andIIiU. The crimping. rollers I-B I-and' I62 are so fluted that the corrugations or undulationsin the weft wire register with the warp wires forming the shed. The weft wire maybe crimped' so as to simulate a sine wave, wherein one cycle has a length equal to. the' space allotted to two warp-Wires, so that one warp wire is seated'in thegulley and the following warp wire underlies the succeeding, crest of'the sine wave.- The crimping rollers I541 and I62 are'adjustedby a pair of adjustingscrews I'fiI adjusting the bearing blocks I42. and. I48 towards and away from the lower:- bearing: block I40 and: I 46, t'o tlierebycontrolithemagnitude of; the .crimpz Apipe or guide: I63 guides the crimp'ed weft wire from the E crimping device: to r a-po'sitionanear;

thaweb whlar it is severed: This. guide; I33: ac'- curately. holds the end of the weft wire-.in ai.prex-= determined position for engagement with the: weft feeding-device. The weftwire is drawn into theshedaby azweft feeding'device200', which op;-- I

. an attempt were made to feedithe= weft wire by-i shuttlestossed from one side "tothe other,.or mechanically; driven from onev side to the other, which-shuttles would contain 'a spool of wire, -.it. would be impractical to do so. In the-first place, itwouldnot besatisfactory to wind pre-crimped wire on the'shuttle.. In th next-place, it would not be satisfactory to feed such stiff wire from a small spool or bobbin, which would": necessarily have: to be used in the-shuttle. Furthermore, if-. itwere possible towind the pre-crimped wire and: if it wcrerpossible to feed the stiff spring wire fromv theshuttle; the weft wire couldnotbe brought into registry with the warp wires.- One: of the mainobjections in using a bobbin, is the fact thatthe wire being wound on suc a all.

spool or. bobbin (about 1" core) putsaset in the weft wire that is very objectionable in the result-- ant cloth. It is necessary to supply the crimped' wire insuch a manner that the undulations in the crimped. wireregister with the warp wire. The stiffness of the weft wire makes it unwieldy by the use of conventional'shuttles used in. the past. In the present device this diflicultyhas been. overcome by the use of an automatic weft feeding; device; which will now be described.

This automatic weft feeding device 200 includes ahousing 202 that issubstantially square in cross sectional area, mounted for reciprocatory movement in a supporting box 203 fixedly mounted upon the angle bars I05 and I-08. One

end of'the housing 202 supports a pair of gripper V jaws 204 and 20.6 pivotally mounted upon the pivots 208 and 2I0 respectively. 7 These gripper jaws have been provided with wire gripping serrations. 204a and 203a, cooperating" to grip the end of the weft wirev I20 at the proper time, as will'appear more fully later. The gripper jaws 204and 206 have been provided with rearwardly;

extending wedge engaging projections 20% and 2061) normally biased together or toward each other by the springs 2I2, so as to separate the jawsfcausing the gripper jaws to open unless held in closed position by a, wedge-shapedmember 2'I6 actuated longitudinally with respect to the'h'ousingj 202 into wedging position and out of wedging position by a rod 2I8, threadedly en'- gagingmember 2I6'and urged into wedging position by a spring 220 abutting a collar 222 fixedly attached to the rod 2I8. The other end of the spring 2201s seatedagainst a sleeve 224mounted in the opposite end of the housing 202-and fixedly attachedthereto. The outer end of'the rod 2I8, that is, the end opposite the end engaging member 2H5, support a trigger seat 230 held in a retracted position by a trigger 232 substantially bell crank lever shaped, pivoted at 234 and normally biased in a counter-clockwise direction by a spring 236 mounted between one arm ofthe trigger 2'32 and. across pin 238 in supporting pIatesiZIIII, oneior'teither. side ofthetr'r-iggerl end of member 232. The trigger 232 is released by the movement of the weft feeding device 200, so that as the shuttle 200 is advanced into the shed formed by the separation of the warp wires and advances towards the end of the weft wire I20, the trigger 232 engages a pin 280 carried by a bracket 282 mounted upon angle bar I06. As the weft feeding device advances towards the end of the weft wire disposed on the side of the warp wires, the abutment 280 releases the trigger 232, causing the spring 220 to snap the wedge 2I6 into engagement with the projections 204D and 2062) of the gripper jaws 204 and 206, so as to cause the gripping portions to firmly grip and hold the end of the weft wire.

As the weft feeding device is retrieved, the Weft wire is drawn between the shed formed by the separation of the warp wires until the weft feeding device clears the warp wires, that is, until the weft feeding device has been completely withdrawn from the shed formed by the warp wires, at which time wedge retracting member 290 pivoted at 292 to the plates 240 engages the cam 294 mounted upon a pair of transverse members 296 and 298 supported upon extensions 300 and 302 fixedly attached to the angle irons I06 and I08. The cam surface 294 may be adjusted by a suitable set screw 306. As member 290 engages the cam surface 294, member 290 is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure '7, so as to cause the arm 2900. to engage member 230 to actuate member 230 to the right, as viewed in Figure '7, to retract the wedge 2; from engagement with the extensions 204b and 2061) of the gripper jaws 204 and 206, to permit the springs 2I2 to separate the gripper jaws, thereby releasing the weft wire. Simultaneously with this operation, the weft wire is severed on the opposite side by a snipper or shears 320, which will be described more fully later. However, before describing th shipper 320, the driving mechanism for th weft feeding device will be described.

Drimng mechanism for weft feeding device Referring to Figure 1, the shaft 16 has a crank arm 324 mounted on one end thereof and an oppositely disposed crank arm 326 mounted on the opposite end thereof. A link 328, having one end pivotally attached to the crank arm 324, has the other end interconnected to a chain 330 trained over a pulley 332, as best seen in Figur 2, mounted upon a shaft 334 journalled in frame member I62 and supported upon a bearing bracket 340 mounted upon a spanning member 342, spanning the distance between members I02 and I04 Again reverting to Figure 1, a link 344 has one end pivotally attached to crank arm 326 and the other end fixedly attached to a chain 346. As best seen by referring to Figure 2, the chain 346 is trained over a pulley 348 fixedly attached to a shaft 350 journalled in member I04 and in a bearing bracket 352, supported upon member 342. The inner ends of the shafts 334 and 350 have fixedly attached thereto pulleys 360 and 362 respectively. A chain 364 has one end fixedly attached to pulley 360 and trained over same, projecting down so as to pass over a pulley 310 journalled to a support 312, spanning the distance between member I06 and member 342. From the pulley 310 the chain 364 returns upwardly and is fixedly attached to and trained over the pulley 362. As the shaft 13 rotates, the pulleys 332 and 348 are oscillated in opposite directions by means of therotation of the crank arms 324 and 326 actuating the links 328 and 344 and the parts associated therewith.

As the pulleys 332 and 348 are oscillated in opposite directions, so are th pulleys 360 and 362, causing the chain 364 to oscillate the pulley 310 about its pivot so as to cause this pulley 310 to rotate approximately one full revolution in one direction and then approximately one full revolution in the opposite direction. A crank arm 314 is attached to the pulley 310 and actuates a pitman 316, having one end pivotally attached to 314 and the opposite end pivotatlly attached to the head including the plates 240 of the weft feeding device 200, so that as the pulley 310 rotates in one direction, the weft feeding device is advanced into the shed formed by the separation of the warp wires, so as to grab the end of the weft wire I20 and then retract from the shed, so as to pull the weft wire through the shed and position the crimped weft wire in position with respect to th warp wires. At the end of this stroke, the weft wire is released. The next cycle of the weft feeding device is actuated by the pulley 310 rotating in the opposite direction.

As may be seen by referring to Figure 2, the full line position represents one extreme position of th pulley 310 and the dot-dash line position represents the other extreme position of the pulley 310. From this it may be seen that the pulley 310 does not make a complete revolution during each cycle. Instead, it rotates through 340, 350 or more, depending entirely upon the length of the crank arms 324 and 326, the ratio of the pulleys used, etcetera. It is also to be noted that at one end of th stroke, that is, the dot-dash line position, the pitman 316 is substantially aligned with the crank arm 314, so as to advance the weft feeding device into the extreme position. In the full line position, the weft feeding device has not been retracted quite as far. Thus, it i seen that at the end of alternate cycles of the weft feeding device, it is further retracted than at th end of the other cycles. The pitman 316 is preferably adjustable, so that the weft feeding device may be adjusted with respect to the end of the weftwire and the position of the shears 320.

By referring to Figure 5, it may readily be seen that the gears holding the crimping rollers in synchronism are provided with a non-reversing mechanism. Thisnon-reversing mechanism includes two pawls 450 and 452 mounted upon a pivot 454 fixedly secured to the transverse member I40. The pawls 450 and 452 are urged in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 5, by a suitable spring 456. It is to be noted that two pawls are used of unequal length, only one of which projects between adjacent teeth, the other being out of engagement. This arrangement cooperates with the weft feeding device in properly supplying the weft wire between the warp. In the first place, this has been accomplished by causing the weft feeding device to pull or draw the weft wir through a distance that is not a multiple of the distance of the cycles of undulations in the weft wire; but instead, the weft feeding device draws the weft wire through a distance that is equal to a multiple of the length of each cycle of undulations plus the length of one-half cycle. Thus, the shorter pawl, that is, the one shown in engagement with the teeth in Figure 5, arrests the retractive movement of the crimping device for alternate Weft Wires, the longerpawl arresting the retractive movement of the crimping device for the other weftwires, .so that the, pawls :function alternately to arrest the retractive movement-of thecrimping device. By this arrangement, the undulations inthe crimped weft wire arealways fed-into registry with the warp wires.

Beater driving mechanism The beater, which includes a plurality of reeds H0 spanning the distance between-angle irons I06 and [08, is actuated through'a'pair-of links 402, only oneof which is shownin Figure I, having their forward ends pivotally atta-ched'to the upright members I02 or 1-04, as the case may be, and therear-ends-attached to a .pair of crank .arms 494, one -on each end -of -the shaft 466 ,journalled in the frame of 'theloom and driven in synchronism with "the shaft 16.

The shaft 496 rotates at twice the speed of the shaft 15,

as the shaft H5 rotates ,once for one complete cycle of the operation of the loom, during which r cycle the :beater reciprocates twice, so as'to position twosucceedingweftxwires as' is well known to those skilled in the art. The weft feeding device is advancedbetweentheshed formedby the warp wires while the heater is retracting from its operating position and the weft wire positioned into position while the beater is advancing the Weft wir :into the 'bight'of the shed.

Likewise-the snippers or'shearsz3-2llare actuated .in synchronismwith the operation of thebeater,

as will appear 1 more 'fullyjfrom the 1 following description.

Wire snippers qor shears ihe wire snippers or shears 320 are mounted directly below and adjacent the end of the pipe I63, through which the weft wire extends. 'The shears 320 include a shear member'420 mounted for vertical reciprocatory movement in the support 422 vfixed to the beater framelmember I08. The complementary shear member 424 ispiv- .otally mounted at 426 to member 420 and includes an arm 424a that ,projectsforwardly or .away from the'beater. As the beater advances the weft wire into position with respect to the warp wires, thelower-end 42!, pivotally attached to member 420, engages a stationary cam .430, so as to raise members 420and 424 to straddle the weft Wire I20, as shownin'thefull line .position in Figure 8. As the beat-eradvances, the arm 424a engages a stop-.432,.closing theshearing members 420 and424, so as-to shear the-wire. This takes place near the forward end of the beater stroke after the weft feeding devicehas released the opposite end of the weft wire, so 1 that thevseveredportion of the weft wire is not released from the weftifeeding device vand severedvfrom the continuous length weft wire until just before the heddles are ready for reversal, so as to cause the warp wires to hold the weft wire in position immediately upon itbeing severed from the continuous length. As the beater returns, a suitable spring 434 cooperating :with gravity, causes the-.shearstodrop out of the path of the weft wire.

In order that the shears may rapidly disappear from the operative position shown in Figure 8, member .4ZI is pivotally attached to a shear member 420 at 423. This provides a joint,

so that as soon as the beater starts on its retra-ctive movement, member 42! oscillates about the pivot 423, permittingth spring 434 to snap the shears into down position before the shear clears the cam surface 430. Immediately upon The shears are held in open a position bya spring436.

promptly returning with the-weft wire.

:the reversal of-the beater, member4-2lis rotated in a counterclockwise direction, asshown ill Figure 8, from the bent position into theastraight :position, in readiness to again engage the cam 43,!) .and advance-theshears into up; position.

The spring 436 is utilized to hold the shears -in an open :position, excepting when the shears are advanced so that the arm 424a is moved into closed positionwby the stop 432. I 7

Mode of'operatic n After the warp wires have been properly threaded .orstrung through the loom and a :coil .of weft wire haslbeen mounted in position with an end, projecting through thecrimping rollers,

the driving .motor, which has not been shown, ,may bestarted. Thismotor drives the'drumeli at arate of speed compatible with .themesh of the-screen to be woven. As the surface of the drum 3-6-may be of metal or of wood, slippage .of the warp wiresis prevented by suitable abrasive or friction producing means .The abrasive material may be applied by covering the "periphcry of the drum with sheets of abrasive mate rial, or the periphery of the drum may be painted-or covered with suitablecement having embedded: therein-emery or: abrasive material, causing 'a positive drive between the drumand the warp wires. I

The weft .wire. is-positioned in theshed'by'the automatic weft feeding device. This automatic weft feeding device, which is mounted on :the

beaten-has a reciprocatory movement which advances the weft feeding device across the ;;shed where it grips "the weft wire and .during the :retrieving stroke pulls theweft Wire into theshed. The driving :means for causing the .fore ::and 'aft movement of the beater and :the drivinglmeans for reciprocating the weft :feedingdevice are .aso timed that the weft feeding device advances across the shed during the *latter part of the aft movement of .theibeater'and engages or grips the "weft wire approximately at the vtime that the ;'direction of the weft feeding device 1 and the beater .is reversed. :As the weft feeding device retrieves the weft wire, the movement of *the beater reverses, so that the weft wire is :drawn into position in the shed during the early for- :ward: movement of the beater.

Thissynchronization of "movements is made possible by the'use ofipitmans. actuated-by crank arms rotating at a uniform rate of speed.

402, actuated 'by' the crank arm 404, :causes the beater atoihave a movement corresponding to "a sine -=wave motion. Referring to Figure '1, the beateris traveling at approximately the'highes't rate of speed whenthe crank .armi4fl'4 is normal to the line -';of centers.

of the beater ireverses. ,-At-the :same timegithe movement'of the crank arms 324 :and 3-26, :together with .the -movement resulting :from rotathe arm 614 has passed through substantially half a revolution, the movementofthe -weft"feed- 'When 'the .crank arm passes dead center, the direction of movement ing device-by virtue of this arm, reverses and passes through zero; but while this reversal of the weftfeeding device is taking place, the crank arms 324' and 326 are traveling at the highest rate of speed possible. When crank arms 324 and 326 reach dead center, the crank'arm 314 reverses its direction of rotation, at which time the movement of the weft feeding device is zero, as it reverses its direction. This results in the weft feeding device having a considerable dwell during the shearing operation and the advancement of the beater so as to shove the weft wire tightly into the apex of the shed and during the reversal of the heddles. At the other end of the stroke of the weft feeding device, that is, when the weft feeding device is in position to engage the weft wire, it stops only momentarily. This compound sine wave movement makes it possible to actuate the weft feeding device across the shed and retrieve the weft feeding device during 'the latter portion of the aft movement of the beater and the first portion of the forward movement thereof.

As the beater advances into the extreme forward position, the cam raising the shears and the stop for closing the shears cause the shears to sever the wire. Up to the time that the wire is severed, even though the gripper jaws of the weft feeding device have released the wire for a considerable period prior thereto, the weft Wire is not free to move at any time, for the reason that this wire is not severed until the beater has advanced the weft wire into a position near the apex of the shed, when it is held in position by the beater during the reversal of the heddles.

These cycles are repeated without interruption, excepting when it is necessary to supply a new coil of 'weft wire and when it is necessary to remove a full roll of woven screen and substitute therefor an empty spool.

Although the preferred modification of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, the combina tion thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out'the objects set forth as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving metallic screen from Wire, said op- 'erating unit including a heater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a retrieving weft feeding device mounted on said beater frame so, as to have a fore and aft movement therewith, said weft feeding device having a reciprocatory movement across all of the warp wires, actuating means for actuating the Weft feeding device, means for causing the weft feedingdevice to engage the end of the Weft wire,

-means' for'releasing the weft wire after it has been positioned, crimping means also mounted upon/said beater frame, said crimping means crimping the weft wire as it is drawn by the weft reading device into the shed, and severing means mounted upon the beater frame, said severing the loom, crimping means mounted upon the beater frame, said crimping means crimping the weft wire as it advances into the shed, and a reciprocatory weft feeding device also mounted upon the beater frame, said weft feeding device advancing across the shed from one side and retrieving the weft wire held by the crimping means, said Weft feeding device feeding the Weft wire from the opposite side so as to position the crimped Weft wire in the shed.

3. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving a metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a heater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, means for automatically supplying the weft Wire to the loom from a coil, said means including a crimping device mounted upon the beater frame in close proximity to the warp wires, said crimping means crimping the wire, and means also mounted upon the beater frame, said last means automatically engaging the weft wire and pulling it through the crimping device into the shed.

4. A Weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving a metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, means for supporting a coil of weft wire, crimping means mounted upon the beater frame, said crimping means crimping the weft wire, and an automatic reciprocatory weft feeding device also mounted upon the beater frame, said Weft feeding device pulling the weft wire from said coil through the crimping means across the shed.

5. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving a metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a crimping device mounted upon the beater frame, said crimping device forming the weft wire into sinuous form so as to be snugly seated between the warp wires, means for pulling the weft wires through the crimping device into the shed, and severing means mounted upon the beater frame, said severing means cutting th weft wire after it has been positioned in the shed.

6. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a crimping device mounted upon the beater frame for crimping the weft wire, and means for pulling the weft wire through the crimping device into the shed where it is engaged by the beater during the reversal of the warp wires to form a new shed.

'7. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a retrieving stripper mechanism mounted upon the beater frame so as to have a fore and aft movement in unison with the beater frame, said gripper mechanism being mounted for reciprocatory movement including means for. reciprocating the gripper mechanism across all of the warp wires in synchronism with the operation of the loom, said gripper mechanism including a pair of gripper jaws, means for engaging the gripper jaws so as to hold the same open for the duration of the inoperativ stroke while advancing through the shed, means extending across the shed for closing the gripper jaws at the end of the advance stroke of the gripper mechanism, and means mounted upon the beater frame for releasing the weft wire at the end of the retrieving stroke of th gripper mechanism.

8. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a weft wire crimping device mounted upon the beater frame, a weft wire gripper mechanism mounted upon the beater frame so asto have a fore and aft movement in unison with th beater frame, said weft wire gripper mechanism being mounted for reciprocatory movement so as to have an advancing stroke across all ofthe warp wires and a retrieving stroke, said weft wire gripper mechanism advancing the weft wire through the crimping device into the shed during the retrieving stroke, said crimping device forming the weft wir into sinuous undulations, and actuating means for reciprocating said Weft wire gripper mechanism, said actuating means actuating the weft wire gripper mechanism during the effective retrieving stroke a distance 'substantially equal to a multiple of the sine wave length plus a distance equal to one-half sine wave length.

9. A weft wir operating unit for use in a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the Weft Wire, said operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a weft wire crimping device mounted upon the beater frame, a weft wire gripper mechanism mounted upon the beater frame so as to have a fore and aft movement in unison with the beater frame, said weft wire gripper mechanism being mounted for reciprocatory movement so as to have an advancing stroke across all of the warp wires, and a retrieving stroke, said weft wire gripper mechanism advancing the weft wire through the crimping device into the shed during the retrieving stroke,

said crimping device forming the weft wire into sinuous undulations, actuating means for reciprocating said weft wire gripper mechanism, said actuating means actuating the weft wire gripper mechanism during the effective retrieving stroke a distance substantially equal to a multiple of the sine wave length plus a distance equal to one-half sine wave length and means for shearing the weft wire between the crimping device and the web at the end of the retrieving stroke weft: feedingv device mounted upon the beater frame so as to have a. fore and" aft movement in unison with the'beater frame, said. weft feeding device pulling the weft wire through the crimping device into the shed, the fore and aft movement of the beater advancing the weft wire into the apex of th shed, shearing means supported upon the beater, and means in the path of the shearing means causing the shearing means to respond to the movement of the heater to shear the. weft wire after it hasbeen positioned in. the shed.

11. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for Weaving a. metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp'wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a heater having a frame. mounted for fore and aft movement, a crimping device mounted upon the beater frame, said crimping device crimping the weft wire,. means for causing said crimping device to have a fore and aft movement with thebeater frame, a retrieving Weft wire gripper mechanismv mounted for reciprocatory movement, said gripper mechanism being mounted upon the beater frame so asto have a fore and. aft movement with the beater'frame, and actuating means for advancing the gripper mechanism through the shedinto engagement with the endof the weft wire projecting from the crimping device, said actuating means actuating the gripper mechanism so as to pull the weft wire into the shed, the weft wire being advanced forward by the forward movement of the beater.

12. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weavingv metallic screen from wire, said loomhaving. means for separating the warp. wires so as to. form a shed for the. reception of theweft wire; said operating unit including a beater having a frame. mounted for fore and aft movement, an automatic weft wire feeding device, a crimping device, automatic shears, said heater frame supporting the crimping device, the shears and the weft feeding device, actuating means for actuating the beater frame and the parts supported thereon, whereby the crimping device, the shears and the Weft feeding device have a fore and aft movement in: unison with the beater frame.

13. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weavingmetallic: screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires, so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a weft wire feeding device having a longitudinal housing mounted for reciprocatory' movement, a rod mounted in the housing for reciprocatory movement relative thereto, a pair of gripper jaws mounted adjacent one end of the housing and projecting therethrough, means for biasing the gripper jaws into open position, means for resiliently urging said reciprocatory rod in one direction to close the gripper jaws, means for actuating said reciprocatory rod against the force of said resilient means to release the gripper jaws, and means for holding the rod out of engagement with the gripper jaws during the inoperative stroke of said weft wire feeding device.

14. A weft wire operating unit for use in a loom for weaving a metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, said operating unit including a weft wire feeding device having an operative and an inoperative stroke, said weft wire feeding device having an elongated housing, a pair of gripper jaws pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the housing, means for normally biasing the gripper jaws into open position, mean for forcing the gripper jaws into engaging position, said means being mounted within the housing for reclprocatory movement and terminating near the end of the housing opposite the gripper jaws, and actuating means responding to the movements of the housing actuating said last means so as to actuate the gripper jaws.

15. In a loom for weaving metallic screen from continuous length wire, the combination in cluding means for crimping the weft wire, a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a reciprocatory weft feeding device mounted upon said beater frame so as to have a fore and aft movement in unison with the beater frame, said device including a pair of gripper jaws mounted for reciprocatory movement across all of the warp wires, means for propelling said gripper jaws, means for closing the gripper jaws so as to engage the end of the wire located on one side of the web, releasing means carried on the beater frame releasing the gripper jaws as the weft wire has been positioned in the shed, and severing means mounted on the beater frame, said severing means severing the wire upon being positioned so as to leave the end of the weft wire available for the succeeding operation.

16. In a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, the combination including mechanism for crimping the weft wire, a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, means mounted upon the beater frame, said means advancing the weft wire from a source of continuous length weft wire into the shed, and severing means for severing the weft wire from the source of supply after it has been positioned n the shed, said severing means being characterized by a shearing member mounted for reciprocatory movement upon the beater frame, a second shearing member pivotally attached to the first shearing member, and shear actuating means in the path of said shearing members for reciprocating said first shearing member with respect to the beater frame so as to cause the shearing members to straddle the weft wire, said shear actuating means including a stop engaging the pivotally mounted shearing member for shearing the weft wire.

17. In a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires so as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, the combination including mechanism for crimping the weft wire, and an operating unit including a beater havinga frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a retrieving weft wire gripper mechanism mounted upon the beater frame for advancing the weft wire from a source of continuous length weft wire into the shed, and severing means for severing the weft wire from the source of supply after it has been positioned in the shed, said severing means being characterized by a shearing member mounted for reciprocatory movement upon the beater frame, a second shearing member pivotally attached thereto, and shear actuating means in the path of said shearing members for reciprocating said first shearing member with respect to the beater so as to cause the shearing members to straddle the weft wire, said shear actuating means including a stop engaging the pivotally mounted shearing member for shearing the weft wire.

18. In a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires 50 as to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, the combination including mechanism for crimping the weft wire, and an operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, a reciprocatory weft feeding device mounted upon the beater frame, severing means supported upon the beater frame, said severing means being characterized by an articulated shearing member, a pivotally mounted shearing member cooperating with the first shearing member to sever the weft wire, means in the path of the severing means for engaging the articulated member to actuate the severing means into shearing position, and means actuating one end of the pivotally mounted shearing member so as to shear the weft wire, the articulated member collapsing during the aft movement of the heater to rapidly withdraw the severing means from shearing position.

19. In a loom for weaving metallic screen from wire, said loom having means for separating the warp wires to form a shed for the reception of the weft wire, the combination including mechanism for crimping the weft wire, means for tensioning the weft wire, said means including an arm mounted for oscillatory movement, and a weft wire operating unit including a beater having a frame mounted for fore and aft movement, an automatic weft wire feeding device, automatic shears, said beater frame supporting the shears and the weft feeding device, actuating means for actuating the beater frame and the parts supported thereon whereby the shears and the weft feeding device have a fore and aft move ment in unison with the beater frame to lay the crimped wire in the shed.

LOUIS J. ZERBEE. 

